by Amy Gamet
How could you betray someone you weren’t seeing in the first place?
~~~
“What can I get for you?” asked the bartender.
Tori leaned over to be heard above the crowd. “Two shots of whiskey and a white wine spritzer.”
Someone pressed behind her and she cursed the crowded bar Bonnie and Edward had chosen to go to after the rehearsal dinner. Tori had a little too much wine with dinner, which made it seem like a terrific idea to continue the revelry. Only once they were away from the confines of the table, Jed had become more difficult to elude.
The bartender brought her drinks and she threw money on the bar, then turned around, directly into Jed’s chest.
“How long did you think you could avoid me?” he asked.
“Not long enough, apparently.” Lifting her arms, she moved sideways through the crowd, forcing him to follow her or leave her alone. She wasn’t surprised when he followed.
Tori made her way back to Bonnie and Edward’s table, passing out the whiskeys and taking a fortifying sip of her spritzer.
Jed leaned in to speak into her ear. “I want to talk to you.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Just hear me out.”
“Where’s your fiancé?”
“She’s not my fiancé anymore.”
“That’s true. Hey,” she said, hitching her elbow onto his arm, “Maybe she’s with Gabe. We should go see. Gabe!” she yelled, pretending to look around. “Gabe!”
“Stop it.”
“Oh,” she smacked her forehead. “That’s right. They probably went to bed. They said they were both really tired.”
Jed gave her a look that could have bored through steel. He leaned in front of her toward Bonnie and Edward. “We’ll be back.”
Before she knew what he was about, he’d grabbed her by the hand and was dragging her through the crowd of people, her protests lost in the din. He pulled her out the front door and onto the sidewalk.
Tori’s ears were ringing from the noise inside the bar, and she knew her cheeks were red with a heady mix of anger, embarrassment and something that felt like shame. “I am not some puppy dog you can drag around on a leash.” She looked at her wrist, red where his fingers had been, and rubbed at it.
He put his hands on hers, far more gentle now. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She yanked them away. “You say that a lot. Maybe you should start behaving better so you don’t have to keep apologizing for being such an idiot all the time.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”
Their eyes held a moment too long.
“I’m going inside,” she said.
“Wait. You’re obviously upset with me. I don’t even know what I did.”
She stopped, even as she told herself to keep moving. She stared through the glass into the crowded bar, knowing she didn’t want to be in there any more than she wanted to be out here.
“Talk to me, Tori.”
She shook her head. “No.”
He walked up behind her. “Is it something I said?”
The door to the bar opened, noise spilling between them, and Gabe stepped outside. “What’s going on out here?”
“None of your business,” said Jed.
“Don’t talk to him like that,” said Tori. “None of this is his fault.”
Jed raised his eyebrows. “All of this is his fault.”
“Ah,” said Gabe. “The old, ‘Gabe’s ruined the world’ conversation. I have to say, that argument’s wearing a little thin these days, brother.”
Jed moved to Gabe, their faces inches apart. “You think so?”
Tori pushed the two men apart. “Stop this.” She let out a huff. “Gabe, go inside, please. I need to talk to Jed alone.”
Gabe gritted his teeth, but nodded. “If you need me, you let me know.” He went back inside.
Tori turned to Jed and took a deep breath into her lungs. “I know you slept with Evelyn.”
“Excuse me?”
“I saw her car at your place last night, the same one she was driving at the restaurant. It was still at your house this morning.”
“Whoa, hold on. We were talking. She took a cab home.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Right.”
“It’s true. And why were you watching my house, anyway? I thought you weren’t interested in me at all?”
“Why would she take a cab home?”
“We were drinking. Now why were you watching my house, instead of Gabe’s hotel?”
“Why were you drinking with your ex-fiancé?”
“Because she wants me back.”
Tori snorted. “Really.”
“Yes, really.” His eyes darkened and his voice dropped. “But I don’t want her, Tori. I think you know that already.”
Tori’s cheeks flamed hot. “I don’t know what you want, Jed. That’s part of the problem.”
He stepped closer and tipped her chin up with his hand. “I want you.”
“Let go of me.” She lifted her chin out of his grasp, then sidestepped Jed and went back inside.
He didn’t even try to stop her.
~~~
Jed watched as Edward lit a cigar and blew smoke into the night air. The noise in the bar had calmed down long ago, the women had left and the band had gone home. Jed knew if he had any sense, he would follow their lead—tomorrow morning was bound to come earlier than he would like.
The door opened and a bit of smoke wafted inside. Jed pushed off his barstool and made his way outside. “Mind if I join you?” he asked.
“Of course not.” Edward reached inside his breast pocket. “Cigar?”
Jed nodded and took one, reminding himself of stealing these very cigars on his monthly visits to his father’s house. Jed hadn’t smoked in years, but allowed Edward to light the tip, nonetheless. He exhaled a cloud of fragrant smoke.
“Just like you remember?” asked Edward with a smirk.
“So you knew about that.”
Edward nodded. “I knew about the scotch, too.”
“And here I thought you were an uninvolved parent.”
His father’s face fell.
“I’m sorry,” Jed said. “That was rude of me.”
“No, no. You’re not wrong to criticize. I wasn’t involved in your life, it’s true. I wanted to be, though.” He inhaled from his cigar. “It seemed the older you got, the more I wanted it.”
Jed sidled up to the railing beside his old man, the two of them looking over the lake. “I missed you, growing up. I used to imagine I’d become a smart and powerful adult, and you’d come crawling back to me, asking if you could take me fishing on your boat.”
“Why fishing?”
“A picture on your desk. A fishing trip with Gabe.”
“Ah, yes. I caught nothing, while your brother caught a mackerel and screamed like a little girl when it was time to get it off the hook. His mother then berated me for not knowing how to relate to children.”
“It looked like more fun than that.”
“Things are not always as they appear.”
Jed nodded. That was certainly true.
“Jed, thank you for coming to Moon Lake. For giving me another chance, even though I didn’t deserve it.”
“You’re welcome.”
Quiet settled over the two men as smoke swirled up to the sky.
Edward chuckled lightly. “Perhaps now that you’re smart and powerful, you’d like to go fishing with me sometime.”
“Do I get to steer the boat?”
“I think that can be arranged.”
Jed smiled. “I’d like that.”
~~~
Chapter 9
Turquoise of blue and the brightest of greens
Opaque in its lustrous yet heartwarming sheen
Smooth to the fingers but cold to the touch
Its twin made of metal all souls in
its clutch
We promise each other our hearts with our gold
Our diamonds, our virtue, to have and to hold
The prettiest treasures can’t come close enough
To matching the power of love’s magic touch
~~~
Tori stood behind her mother in the vanity mirror, helping to put on her mother’s veil, which was short and topped with a crown of baby’s breath flowers.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Bonnie said, adjusting the tulle.
Tori was getting choked up already, a full half an hour before the ceremony would begin. She leaned over her mother’s shoulder. “You look so beautiful, Mom.”
“Do you really think so?”
Tori nodded.
“Well, love will do that to a person.” Bonnie reached for her blush and a makeup brush. “I’ve wondered lately if you might be in love, too.”
Tori blinked. “No.”
Her mom caught her eye in the mirror. “Jed is a wonderful man.”
The corners of Tori’s mouth turned down. “I’m not in love with him.”
“I saw the two of you together several times. There is a kind of energy between you that reminds me your father and me.”
Tori sat down. “It’s not like that between us, Mom.”
“Oh, no?”
She shook her head. “That summer when we first met the Trainors, I had a crush on Gabe. Nothing happened.” She blew out air. “Not much, anyway. He was my first kiss. So when you said you were marrying Edward…”
“You were thinking something might happen between you and Gabe.”
Tori nodded. “Did you know his girlfriend is Jed’s old fiancé?”
“Edward mentioned something about that. He said Gabe and Evelyn have been together for quite some time, and she’s the reason the boys don’t get along.”
“I like Gabe, Mom. I really do.”
“And Jed?”
“Honestly? Every time I look at him, it’s like I’ve swallowed a bucketful of jitterbugs. But I don’t want to care about him.”
“We don’t get to choose the people we fall in love with. Something in their soul speaks to something in our soul. When I first met your father, I thought he was an arrogant grand-stander. He was the quarterback on the football team, the king of the senior prom. He had a head the size of Massachusetts.” She laughed.
“But soon I realized his soul was calling out to me, and there wasn’t a single thing I could do to keep from falling in love with that boy.”
Tori tilted her head. “I don’t remember him that way.”
“Oh, no, by the time you came along, it was mostly out of his system. That’s part of the magic. We find the people who are meant to love us throughout our lives, not just the people we are now, but the people we are meant to become.”
“I’ve always been alone. What does that say about me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being alone. After your father passed away, it was what I wanted for a very long time, and we tend to get what we want in life, Tori.”
“What if I don’t know what I want?”
“Then you’ll need to make up your mind, and everything will fall into place.”
“What does that mean, Mama? Do we control our own destiny?”
Bonnie nodded. “I don’t know how, dear. But I know without a doubt that it’s true.” She winked at her daughter in the mirror.
~~~
Jed stood beside his father to the side of the makeshift altar, a warm breeze coming off the lake behind him.
It was a beautiful day for a wedding.
Edward turned to him. “Thank you for being my best man. It means a lot.”
He could hear the sincerity in his father’s voice, and it touched him. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I came.”
It surprised him to realize it was true. Jed was glad he came, happy to have seen his father and brother, even if he only made a small bit of peace with the other men. It was something. It was a heck of a lot more than he’d had from them in a long time.
And there was Tori.
“I can’t change the past, Jed. But I sure hope you and I have a future.”
“I hope so, too.”
The music changed and the men turned their attention down the aisle, Tori and Gabe arm-in-arm in the distance. Her blue dress blew gently on the breeze, and the last piece of Jed’s armor fell away.
He was grateful for the moments he had spent with her. His mouth slid into a smile as they walked up the aisle, his mind cutting Gabe from the picture entirely. Tori met his eyes and his heart tightened in his chest.
She had a hold on him, some emotional tie he’d never before experienced, and it gave him pause even as he took in her beautiful smile. He liked her. He liked her a lot. And why shouldn’t he? With her creative spirit and entrepreneurial bravado, he couldn’t help but admire this woman. She worked as hard as anyone he’d ever seen to save her shop, and she would be successful, he just knew it.
She would be happy. She would be fulfilled. Maybe she would even find someone to love.
But it wouldn’t be him.
The preacher was talking, but Jed didn’t hear. He remembered Evelyn fighting with him, weeping as she spoke. You asked me to marry you, but you can’t even say it, can you? I need to hear it, Jed. I need to hear the words before I can be your wife.
He’d lost Evelyn that day.
Somewhere deep inside of himself, a voice called out from the darkness.
Don’t let it happen again.
Sweat broke out on his neck and hands. His mind was screaming, and above the cacophony he heard the vows being exchanged. He reached up and ran his fingers along his forehead.
He couldn’t fall in love with Tori.
He didn’t want to fall in love with anyone.
His eyes lifted to the crowd, locking instantly with Evelyn’s. He hadn’t even realized she was there. While everyone else was watching the bride and groom, she’d been watching him.
The crowd erupted in applause, and Jed turned. Edward dipped his new wife over his arm, making Tori visible over their embrace.
Jed turned away before her eyes could find his, landing again on Evelyn’s. She knew he was broken, and she wanted him anyway. She’d never expect promises of love. She’d made her peace with that, something he knew Tori would never do.
He was drowning, water rushing over him and blocking out all air. He felt dizzy and hot. This wasn’t what he wanted. Not Tori. Certainly not Evelyn.
None of this was what he wanted.
He had to get out of here. Now.
It took every ounce of willpower he had to stay rooted to that spot, to wait for the recessional before he walked down the aisle. He could feel Evelyn’s stare as he walked past her.
A plan was beginning to take shape in his mind. He would attend the reception, there was no way out of that without dramatic explanations, but he would stay clear of Tori as much as he possibly could. But tomorrow, as soon as he could pack his things, he would leave Moon Lake and never look back.
Tomorrow he would forget all about Tori Henderson.
~~~
Tori was so incredibly confused.
She sat at the table while her mother and Edward cut the cake. Jed and Evelyn were deep in conversation, with Gabe seeming more interested in their conversation than in her.
What the heck was going on here?
The crowd applauded politely, and Gabe leaned in close to her ear. “I need to get out of here. Want to come to the bar with me?”
“You know it.” She pushed back from the table.
Neither Jed nor Evelyn even looked up, which irritated her just enough to say something. She leaned forward and pasted a wide smile on her face. “I just can’t figure out why you two kids broke up. I do think there’s a preacher around here someplace if you change your mind.” She winked at Jed, who at least had the decency to look upset.
She turned to Gabe as they wound their way through the tables. “I’m so
angry, I could spit in his eye. What about you? Aren’t you pissed off that he’s hitting on your girlfriend?”
He shrugged as they emerged from the dining area. “She’s not really my girlfriend.”
“What?”
“She’s my friend, and she wanted to come, so I brought her. She’s a really nice person, actually.”
“Why did she want to come, if you aren’t dating…” Tori shut her mouth as she finally put the pieces together. “You brought her here for Jed.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, Tori. I had no idea…”
She raised her hand to stop him. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. I mean, if he wants to be with her instead of me, then good riddance, right?”
“Right.” He signaled the bartender, then asked her, “What are you drinking?”
“Wine. No, no, wait. Tequila.”
He smiled. “Woman after my own heart.” He turned to the bartender. “Two shots of tequila.”
Tori had another before moving away from the bar, Gabe by her side as they headed to the dance floor. Bonnie and Edward had done their first dance moments earlier, and Tori had no desire to return to the do-you-remember-when-we-were-a-couple table.
Screw that.
Oh, yeah, she was getting warmed up now. This was her mother’s wedding, a truly happy occasion, and she wasn’t going to let mister wonderful over there ruin it.
Gabe spun her into his arms and she yelled over the music, “They can freaking have each other.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
He was a good dancer, confident and fun. She felt herself relaxing into the moves, enjoying the feel of his body close to hers.
“Tori, I have a confession to make,” he said.
“Your old fiancé is the band leader.”
“No.”
“You’re a top secret agent and you’re really married to the queen of Spain.”
“No.”
She laughed out loud. “Does Spain even have a queen?”
“I don’t think so.” The music changed to a ballad, and he settled her into his arms. “Tori, I like you. I like you a lot. But I’m interested in someone else.”